Extracting Elevation Data from PDF files (Contours, Spot Levels etc...)

It has been my understanding that vectors contain unique information that can tell the software which vector is next in line when importing. One of the problems I see is which way did the engineer draw the line or what type of line did they use can have a large impact on importing linework. I have seen Ghostscript, VectorDraw, and VeryPDF used too.

Hi Digger662 

Welcome to the forums and thanks for your input.  I have not heard of those three packages you mentioned apart from Ghostscript which is interesting as it is actually free to download and use I think.  I will download it and give it a go with some site plans to see how effective it is.  Currently I have been using Inkscape which is really hit and miss.  With complicated data it just does not export to a DXF at all.

However we would not be able to use directly in Kubla Cubed without paying because the license forbids commercial distribution I think.

I agree with you about the problems with the way the engineer has defined the lines.  Basically PDF files were never intended to be used this way so it is really difficult to have a consistent workflow to get the data in without a lot of technical understanding on the part of the user.

I bit later on I am going to try to publish a blog post about how to convert PDF to DXF and for some users with CAD expertise hopefully this will be helpful.

However we are going to be creating automatic line extraction tools in Kubla Cubed in the long term so hopefully all this complexity won't be necessary.

I think if the contour vectors can be selected from the PDF and imported with a zero value for elevation then allow the contours to be selected one by one and change the elevation would be a significant improvement to the current workflow of tracing contours. Maybe allow individual vectors to be deleted, broken or trimmed if they are imported improperly.

Hi AggieBQ86, 

Just a quick update, the latest release- Kubla Cubed 2021 has now been launched!!

Thank you for your PDF vector extraction suggestions - the following have now been implemented:
- Contour PDF vector extraction (importing as 0.00 values) 
- Join Tool 
- Split Tool 
- Set Multiple Elevations (SME) Tool 

Plus, there are many other updates - you can see these in our video What's New in 2021?

If you are a Subscription Licence Holder, you can upgrade today if you follow the instructions when you open Kubla Cubed in your desktop. 

Please keep your new feature suggestions coming!

Kate

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